The present invention relates generally to a self-sealing, refillable plastic balloon valve suitable for inflatable assembly with balloons made from plastic sheet materials. The valve and balloon are bonded together to define an inflatable body providing a self-sealing and refillable assembly.
In another aspect, the invention relates to a self-sealing, reusable plastic balloon valve made from two or more flexible plastic sheets bonded together to define a valve inlet, a valve outlet, and a fluid channel which is self-sealing upon inflation of the balloon and removal of the fluid source. The self-sealing apparatus being adaptable for reuse and reopening for refilling or partial refilling of the plastic balloon.
Inflatable objects such as balloons or the like having an inflatable body and a neck extending therefrom, suffer from closure apparatus and procedures limitations. Sealing the openings through which the balloons are inflated has continued to present a problem, especially sealing means which allow reinflation or partial inflation of the balloon body after initially being filled and sealed. Attempts of sealing non-latex balloons of plastic sheet material have been to twist the ends of neck portions thereof following inflation and tying the twisted end with string. This procedure, while generally acceptable with latex or elastomeric balloons, has proven unsatisfactory with plastic sheet material constructed balloons with dimensionally stable neck inflation portions. Spring clips and other devices have been utilized in an effort to seal off the open ends of these non-elastomeric balloons. These clips are typically applied to the twist end of the balloons to pinch or squeeze the twisted end thereby to halt escape of gas. However, irrespective of the biasing force applied to the twisted end by the spring clips, channels have remained through which gases can gradually escape.
A number of plugs have been proposed for sealing the openings through which plastic film balloons are inflated. Some of these plugs are generally tapered and are intended to be simply forced into suitable valve openings following balloon inflation. Reliance on forced fits, however, have not proved satisfactory because of the difficulty of manufacturing processes and providing sufficiently close dimensional relationship.
Another approach has been to heat seal the open ends subsequent to inflation. While such sealing has reduced the amount of gas leakage, it has been inconvenient to use and has required heat sealing equipment which must be connected to power sources, reducing mobility. Also, the heat seals produced have not been satisfactory because such a final seal does not allow reentry for refilling or partially refilling the balloon, which will eventually deflate in part.
Popularity of plastic balloons or plastic inflatable toys having a body and an inflation stem has grown and continues to grow. This type of balloon includes two flexible plastic sheets which are heat sealed together in many different configurations. One or both of the sheets may be decorated or metalized to provide an aesthetically pleasing balloon. The term "balloon" as used herein refers to any inflatable toy or balloon having a body and an inflation stem. These balloons are generally impermeable, thus, sealing of the balloon stem is important and yet, it is also important to be able to refill the plastic body which, even under ideal sealing conditions, will slowly deflate.
Recently, the plastic balloon industry has sought to develop a self-sealing balloon and valve mechanism. The objectives have been reliability, minimum cost, ease of valve fabrication and simplicity of incorporation into the balloon stem and body. Several valves formed from two flexible plastic sheets have been made, but each suffers from one or more serous disadvantages. These disadvantages include unacceptably high failure rates, costly fabrication procedures or complexities of fabrication procedures, and difficulty in incorporating the valve insertion and adherence of the valve inside the balloon stem and body.
Self-sealing valves for use in conjunction with plastic balloons which are incorporated into the balloons during manufacture have been presented, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,646 to Kieves. The valve of the Kieves '646 patent includes two flexible plastic valve sheets secured together to define a valve inlet, valve outlet, and valve passageway. One of the valve sheets extends beyond the other at the valve inlet to provide a positioning tab which substantially facilitates automation of the valve insertion process. The self-sealing valve fits entirely within the balloon with only a small portion positioned in the stem. During assembly of the balloon, the positioning tab and the valve inlet, which are located within the stem, are bonded or fused to the interior surfaces of the balloon sheets. Such positioning and manufacturing avoids potential valve damage and potential interference during inflation since there are no ends or edges of the self-sealing valve exposed to the inflation mechanism. One of the main disadvantages with the self-sealing valve in Kieves is its apparent unreliability in folding over to seal the valve passageway. The patent discloses that the floating portion of the sealing value "often partially folds over to crease the valve passageway." Evidently, there is no guarantee that the valve will seal by folding over every time. The unreliability of the self-sealing valve in Kieves is remedied by the present invention.
Additional assemblies have been presented which provide a device formed of sheet material having a body, with a neck terminating in a free end with an opening extending from the free end and communicating with the body which is capable of being inflated. Closure means have been provided inclusive of adhesive elements mounted on the neck and protruding or extending beyond the free end thereof, with the closure means adapted to be moved from an open position in which a tube extends into the neck such that the gas entering the device through the tube inflates the body, to a closed position in which the adhesive element which extends beyond the free end is sealed when the tube is removed from the device. The adhesive element when compressed is sealed together beyond the free end and the closure means is in its closed position so as to obtain a sealing of the neck to prevent gas from escaping therethrough. The adhesive element in these additional assemblies have a distinct disadvantage because the adhesive is designed to seal only once during the initial inflation of the balloon. The adhesive is not capable of properly sealing on reinflation of the balloon. In addition, the adhesive elements are sealed together only when compressed by some external force such as finger pressure exerted by the operator's hand.
The recent interest in development of a self-sealing balloon and valve mechanisms for plastic balloons and toys continues to experience negative functions such as the valve itself is exposed and subject to damage by puncture through engagement of the inflation mechanism, requirement of adapters for conventional pump mechanisms and the like. The valve sheets are frequently difficult to fully separate such that interference with the inflation process is experienced. In addition, most self-sealing valves are designed with primary focus on sealing and not on reinflation. These existing self-sealing valves are not generally satisfactory for example, based on valve construction material weakness and ease of reinflation or partial reinflation because of the self-sealing function.